THE group tasked with delivering Scotland’s cyber resilience strategy to give businesses the tools and knowledge to combat e-crime has taken on its first female hacker.

Lisa Fiander, 20, from Perth, will join the team of ethical hackers at the Scottish Business Resilience Centre offering affordable services to help protect companies from e-criminals and scammers.

SBRC takes in students from the University of Abertay’s ethical hacking course to give them practical, paid experience in a business environment in what is traditionally a male-dominated discipline.

Fiander, who is in her third year at Abertay, and has been compared to Lisbeth Salander, the feisty hacker in Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, said: “I am especially proud to be the first female hacker to join the SBRC.

“There truly is no reason for the huge under-representation of women in this industry and it is something I’m certain can and will change.”